Ani DiFranco

Passionate, provocative, and charming, the iconic singer/songwriter, activist, poet, and auteur Ani DiFranco returns to the territory that brought her to the world’s attention backed by a full band. One of the first artists to create her own label in 1990, she has been recognized among the feminist pantheon for her entrepreneurship, social activism, and outspoken political lyrics. At a time of global chaos and confusion, hers is a brash elegance intending to push society to a better place.

Born a gifted songwriter, by age 19, she had written over 100 original songs on her acoustic guitar. Compelled by an ethos that her music and her performance had to remain personal, she founded Righteous Babe Records to distribute her demos. Touring an average of 200 shows a year, she set out to prove that a strong, feminist artist could be very visible outside of the mainstream and pioneered a movement. Rising to icon status for the young women and men who looked to her for honest culture and queer validation, her punk, folk look and sound became emblematic of Alternative. Righteous Babe has released nearly an album a year of her music, encompassing a layered and sonically rich body of work that moves between the heights of her pleas for acceptance and reckoning and the sweet folksiness and humor that has endeared her to generations of fans.

DiFranco joins the festival in support of her new album, Binary, which she said explores that “autonomy is a fallacy.” Technology, connections to nature, capital “p” Politics, and studies of the power dynamics between people are binaries woven into her compositions. The backbone of Binary’s sound is DiFranco’s long-time rhythm section of bassist Todd Sickafoose and drummer Terence Higgins, but on much of the album, the trio is augmented with some all-star guests, including producer Tchad Blake (The Black Keys, Pearl Jam), violinist Jenny Scheinman, keyboard wizard Ivan Neville, the legendary Maceo Parker, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, and Gail Ann Dorsey, longtime bassist for David Bowie.

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The Ann Arbor Summer Festival is an independent, non-profit dedicated to presentinga world-class celebration of arts and entertainment that enriches the cultural, economic, and social vitality of the region.